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mloeb14's review against another edition
Writing style just wasn’t my thing, and about 50% of the way through I still couldn’t connect with the lead.
pun1sher's review
3.0
I had a lot of trouble following this books storyline. Im not sure if i understood anything at all from it but it made me very sad
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Xenophobia
anxiousdaydreamer's review
3.0
Thank you to the publisher and my library who gave me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Spoilers below:
This story is about 17 year old Ginny Park, a student in Oregon who is a Korean who was born and raised in Japan. She's about to get expelled from school, again, and she is given three days to decide if she wants to be expelled or start participating in school.
She begins to recount her experiences that led her here, from her homestay mom Stephanie trying to meet her where she is emotionally, to the emptiness she felt in Hawaii before moving to Oregon. Then she goes back to her life in Japan when she began going to the North Korean school. She suffered bullying event after bullying event from both Koreans and Japanese.
The premise of this memoir is great. I would have liked more details. As an American who hasn't researched much of the tensions between Japan and North and South Korea, I really wasn't the target audience for this book. Has it born a desire in me to learn more? Yes, it has.
There were several strong positives in the story I liked. The first was Ginny's friend Maggie who was Deaf. I loved the Deaf representation! I loved that two kids on the outskirts of their school find such deep friendship with each other and that Maggie didn't want to give up on their friendship even if Ginny was forced to go back to Japan.
The other positive was Stephanie. I loved how she was trying to love Ginny in her own way and how she genuinely wanted to give Ginny the space to grow and be herself.
I give this story three stars. I think having more details would have given this book more life.
Spoilers below:
This story is about 17 year old Ginny Park, a student in Oregon who is a Korean who was born and raised in Japan. She's about to get expelled from school, again, and she is given three days to decide if she wants to be expelled or start participating in school.
She begins to recount her experiences that led her here, from her homestay mom Stephanie trying to meet her where she is emotionally, to the emptiness she felt in Hawaii before moving to Oregon. Then she goes back to her life in Japan when she began going to the North Korean school. She suffered bullying event after bullying event from both Koreans and Japanese.
The premise of this memoir is great. I would have liked more details. As an American who hasn't researched much of the tensions between Japan and North and South Korea, I really wasn't the target audience for this book. Has it born a desire in me to learn more? Yes, it has.
There were several strong positives in the story I liked. The first was Ginny's friend Maggie who was Deaf. I loved the Deaf representation! I loved that two kids on the outskirts of their school find such deep friendship with each other and that Maggie didn't want to give up on their friendship even if Ginny was forced to go back to Japan.
The other positive was Stephanie. I loved how she was trying to love Ginny in her own way and how she genuinely wanted to give Ginny the space to grow and be herself.
I give this story three stars. I think having more details would have given this book more life.
macaronoui's review
4.0
Ginny is half Korean and half Japanese and thus never really properly fits in anywhere. We follow her through different countries and slowly peel the onion that is her.
The book was very beautifully written/translated.
I think people will love this who feel they don't always "belong".
The book was very beautifully written/translated.
I think people will love this who feel they don't always "belong".
antimonium's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
itsjunghan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alex2023's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I am a bit conflicted about my thoughts about this book. While I definitely enjoyed the idea behind the story; that is what discrimination ethnic Koreans living in Japan at the time the book takes place might face, it was an unmemorable book.
I felt that there was a strong disconnect between the characters. All of the side characters seemed very one-dimensional. The timeline had me confused and there isn't too much depth into the main character's route to her rebellion from her early childhood.
I felt that there was a strong disconnect between the characters. All of the side characters seemed very one-dimensional. The timeline had me confused and there isn't too much depth into the main character's route to her rebellion from her early childhood.
livvalentine's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
han_reads_13579's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5